The Girl Who Lived And The Sorcerer's Stone
by EmileighLyn
Summary: It wasn't Harriet's fault anything funny happened. Really. Even though it seemed to always happen around her. From her hair growing several inches over night, to strange rashes appearing on her cousin when she's bullied, Harriet's found herself blamed for all of these strange occurrences. But she doesn't do them on purpose. They all have perfectly logical explanations. Right?
1. 1 There's No Such Thing As Magic

The day started out, just the same as every day, with Aunt Petunia rapping at the door.

 _Tap! Tap! Tap!_ "Up!"

Harriet grunted.

 _Tap! Tap!_ "Get up!"

Oh how Harriet wished she could have a few more minutes. Maybe Aunt Petunia would go away if-

 _BANG! BANG!_ "NOW!"

Nope. Harriet sighed, and turned on her light, before grabbing her glasses, which were covered in a decent amount of tape, due to the fact her cousin, Darla Dursley, took it upon herself to grab them off her face and throw them across the room as hard as she could, leaving poor Harriet to scramble around half blind trying to find them.

"Wake up, cousin!" Darla shrieked, jumping on the steps, making dust fall down in Harriet's hair. "We're going to the zoo!" Darla let out a laugh and finished scampering down the steps.

Harriet groaned. How could she have forgotten? It was Darla's birthday. She made to climb out of the cup board under the stairs, which was her bedroom, only to be shoved back in by a passing Darla, causing several papers to fall down. The papers were a few of Harriet's many drawings, which were either loose papers hanging up in the cup board, in stacks on the shelves, or in her small little sketch book that she fished out of the trash when Darla threw it away last year. It had brown leather cover and creamy white pages. She had filled up almost half of it and dreaded the day it would be full.

"Happy birthday, my beautiful birthday girl." Aunt Petunia cooed to Darla.

"Happy birthday, Angel." Harriet's uncle Vernon said, giving his daughter a hug. "Fetch me my coffee." He said, looking at Harriet.

"Yes, Uncle Vernon." Harriet said.

"Cook the breakfast, and don't you dare burn it." Aunt Petunia said, steering Darla to the table, which was covered in presents. "I want everything to be perfect on my Dolly Darla's special day."

So Harriet cooked the breakfast as Darla counted her presents.

"36." Darla said, wrinkling her nose as Harriet put breakfast on the table.

"That's right, pumpkin." Uncle Vernon said proudly.

"36! But last year I got 37!" Darla shrieked, screwing up her face like she was going to cry.

"But sweetheart." Aunt Petunia said, looking ready to cry herself. "Some of them are bigger than last year."

"I don't care how big they are." Darla sobbed.

It actually had been many years since Darla had really cried, but she learned if she screwed up her face and whimpered, Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon would give her anything.

"Now, now, Angel. We'll get you two more presents while we're out." Uncle Vernon said, looking distressed.

Darla paused for a moment. "So I would have..." She began counting on her fingers.

"38." Harriet said, rolling her eyes.

"Oh. Alright then." Darla said, sitting down and eating.

After they finished eating, they made their way out to the car, Harriet was just about to climb into the vehicle when she was grabbed roughly by Uncle Vernon.

"I'm warning you girl." He hissed. "Any funny business, any at all, and you won't have any meals for a week."

Harriet nodded quickly.

"Good. Get in." Uncle Vernon growled.

Harriet climbed in and buckled up. It wasn't her fault anything funny happened. Really. Even though it seemed to always happen around her. She honestly didn't know how she managed to regrow her hair in one night, after Aunt Petunia, tired of yanking out all the snarls, chopped it all off, save for her bangs which covered up her lightning bolt shaped scar, it was cut off so close to her head that Harriet was almost bald, yet the next morning, Harriet woke up, and it was almost an inch longer than it had been before Aunt Petunia had at it. She got a week in her cupboard for that. But the strange happenings never caused anyone harm. Except for the time Darla had taunted Harriet to her wits end and suddenly a blistering rash spread all over the older girls body, but that was blamed on an allergic reaction to the school cleaning supplies, and the only one Uncle Vernon yelled at was the principal.

The car jolted and Uncle Vernon cursed the maker of motorbikes.

"I had a dream about a motorbike." Harriet murmured, just recalling the dream. "It could fly."

Uncle Vernon almost wrecked the car, and turned to her, red in the face. "MOTORBIKES DO NOT FLY!"

"I know that." Harriet said, wishing she hadn't said anything. "It was just a dream."

Harriet sulked the rest of the way.

"Oh, daddy! Can I get an ice cream!" Darla cried as they pulled in front of the zoo, where an ice cream stand had been placed in front of the entrance.

A few minutes later, Darla was licking a chocolate ice cream, and Harriet had a cheap lemon ice pop, as the ice cream lady asked what she wanted before the Dursley's could hurry her away. It was pretty good.

It was fun looking around the zoo at the animals, Harriet had never been before, as the Dursley's usually stowed her with Mrs. Figg, the batty old lady next door.

But poor Mrs. Figg had broken her leg.

Harriet knew she should feel sorry, but she couldn't help but be elated that she wouldn't have to sit in Mrs. Figg's cabbage smelling livingroom and look at her pictures of her cats.

At lunch, Darla ordered an extra large hamburger, and Harriet got a cheap ham sandwich, and she even got to finish Darla's Knickerbocker Glory when the older girl complained of it being too small and made Uncle Vernon order another. Harriet couldn't believe her luck.

She should have known it wouldn't last long.

They were in the reptilian house, which was surprising. Maybe it was because of the cute boy they saw walk in earlier, but Darla insisted on going in, even though she was terrified of snakes.

Sure enough, Darla followed the boy, Piers, around and chatted with him.

"Isn't this snake cool?" Piers asked, pointing at the boa constrictor that was lying asleep in it's enclosure.

"Yeah." Darla said, shifting nervously.

"I wish it would move." Piers said, sadly.

Darla puffed up. "Daddy, make it move." She ordered.

Uncle Vernon studied the snake, then rapped his knuckles on the window, much like Aunt Petunia does to wake up Harriet. "Oi! Get up!"

Darla banged on the glass. "MOVE!"

"It's asleep!" Harriet said, knocking Darla's hand away.

Darla pouted.

"It's boring. Let's go look at the lizards." Piers said, walking away, with Darla, Vernon, and Petunia following.

Harriet looked in at the snake, who had been woken, and gave it a sad look. "Sorry about them. They just don't understand what it's like. Lying there day after day, having people press their ugly faces in on you."

The snake rose it's head, and Harriet swore, she swore on her life, that it winked at her.

Her eyes shot open wide. "Can you hear me?" She asked.

The snake, to Harriet's further astonishment, nodded.

"It's just- I've never talked to a snake before Do you... I mean... Do you talk to people often."

The snake shook it's head.

"You're from Burma." Harriet said, reading the sign beside the enclosure. "Was it nice there? Do you miss your family?"

The snake used it's tail to motion at the sign again.

Harriet looked and saw the words, _"Bred in captivity"_ in big red letters at the bottom of the sign. "I see." She said, as the snake laid it's head down. "That's me as well."

The snake raised it's head up questioningly.

"I mean, I never knew my parents either." Harriet elaborated.

The snake gave her a sad nod.

"WHOA! Darla! Come look at this snake! You wont believe what it's doing!" Piers shouted, rushing over.

Darla followed and took great pleasure in shoving Harriet out of the way, before both she and Piers climbed up on the hand rails and pressed their bodies against the glass.

The snake looked as irritated as Harriet was growing to be.

Then suddenly, well it was hard to explain, the glass disappeared, Harriet almost thought it was a trick of the light, but then Piers and Darla let out yells, and went pitching through the glassless window and into the enclosure.

Harriet gasped as they splashed into the water.

The snake wasted no time in crawling over the two, playfully snapping it's jaw at Darla who looked faint, and climbing out of the enclosure. "Thankssssss." It hissed at her.

"Any time." Harriet said, absolutely stunned.

The snake took off, being followed by screams, yells, and stampeding feet.

Darla and Piers both jumped up and tried to climb out of the window, but they hit a barrier, the glass had returned.

Darla and Piers cried for their mummy and daddy's who rushed over and went into a panic, and Harriet sat on the floor laughing. But the laughter caught in her throat, when Uncle Vernon turned to her with an absolute murderous stare.

An hour later, Aunt Petunia was leading a shaking, bundled up Darla into the house. And Uncle Vernon was leading Harriet into the house, with a tight grip on her hair, causing her to cry out in pain.

"What happened!" Uncle Vernon roared.

"I swear I don't know!" Harriet said, struggling as large man was pushing her to her cup board "One minute the glass was there and then it was gone! It was like magic!" She cried, before she was thrown violently into her cup board.

"There's no such thing as magic." Uncle Vernon hissed venomously, before slamming the door shut, plunging Harriet into darkness.


	2. 2 Letters From No One

One of Harriet first chores in the morning, after she set the table, cooked breakfast, and put the kettle on, was to go and get the mail when it came in. She always looked through, hoping in vain that a letter would be addressed to her, someone wanting to come and take her away from this miserable place, but it was silly to hope.

Three letters were laying on the ground under the letter box, and Harriet picked them up, sorting through them. Her breath caught in her throat, she must be imagining things, but no, here it was, written in emerald green ink.

 _Ms. H. Potter_

 _The Cupboard under the Stairs_

 _4 Privet drive_

 _Little Whinging_

 _Surrey_

The envelope was thick and heavy, and made of yellow parchment, with no stamp and a purple wax seal, bearing a coat of arms; a lion, and eagle, a badger, and a snake surrounding a large letter 'H'.

"Hurry up, girl!" Uncle Vernon called.

Harriet walked quickly into the kitchen and distractedly handed Vernon the mail. She barely heard what he said about his sister, Aunt Marge, being ill due to a funny whelk. Knowing the dreadful woman she probably deserved it. Not being able to wait she sat down to open her letter. She had barely broken the seal when the letter was snatched out or her hands.

"Daddy! Daddy! Harriet's got a letter!" Darla said, handing the letter to her father.

"That's my letter! Give it back!" Harriet cried.

"Yours?" Vernon said with a laugh. "Who would want to write to you..." He trailed off as he looked down at the address. He looked back up at her with something frightening in his eye, and Harriet gulped.

Harriet had been sent to her cupboard immediately, after a good half hour of hearing Darla complain that she had also been sent out of the kitchen, Uncle Vernon came out, shooed Darla away, and did something he absolutely never did.

He visited Harriet in her cup board.

"I want my letter." Harriet demanded.

"It's not yours. It's been sent to you by mistake." Uncle Vernon said, trying to squeeze as much as he could into the cup board, knocking down pictures as he went.

"It has not! It has my cupboard on it!" Harriet said, angrily.

"Silence." Uncle Vernon hissed, batting away some spiders. He forced a smile, which was frightening. "And about this cupboard. Your aunt and I have been talking. We think you're getting a might to big for it, and we're moving you up to Darla's second bedroom."

From the hall, Harriet could hear Darla protesting loudly. She thought about protesting herself, but was she really going to deny herself a room with an actual bed not a sleeping bag, and of course any chance to make Darla angry was a chance she always took.

The Dursley's had four bedrooms in the house: Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon's bedroom, the spare bedroom for guest (Usually for Aunt Marge when she came to stay) Then Darla's first bedroom where she slept, and Darla's second bedroom, where all the toys she couldn't fit into the first stayed.

It only took Harriet one trip to move everything she owned up to the bedroom. One toy horse. Several large piles of drawings that she simply put in her blanket to carry, a beaten up teddy bear, that Darla had thrown away after one of the ears fell off, and one sketch book with several special pencils.

Most everything in the room had been broken. There was a broken Cine-camera, a vanity with chipped paint and a smashed mirror, from when Darla got frustrated while first using make up, a cage that once held a parrot, but got traded out at school for the very sketch book and pencils Harriet now owned, there was also Darla's first ever television, that she put her foot through when they cancelled her favorite show, the only thing that seemed untouched in the room, was the books.

Downstairs, Darla was wailing and Harriet sighed and stretched out on her bed. Yesterday, she would of given anything to be up here, but she found she would rather be in her cupboard with her letter, than be up here without it.

* * *

The next morning at breakfast, everyone was rather quiet.

Darla was in shock. She had scream, cried, cried for real, had a fainting spell, beat her fists on her father's back, kicked her mother in the shins, and overturned her newest vanity, and she still hadn't gotten her room back.

Harriet was sulking, and wishing vehemently that she had opened the letter in the hall.

Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon were looking at each other darkly.

When the mail arrive, Harriet got up to get it, but Uncle Vernon, who seemed to be making a conscious, and difficult, effort to be nice to her, made Darla get it. They heard the girl sobbing dramatically about being treated as a slave as she walked down the hall.

"There's another one!" Darla shrieked, forgetting about her horrible life in slavery. "It's addressed to Ms. H. Potter! Smallest Bedroom, 4 Privet drive!"

With a yell, Uncle Vernon leaped to his feet with Harriet right behind him, both of them making a mad dash for the hall, trying to get to the letter first. There was a scuffle, in which everyone got hit, smacked, and scratched by Darla, who wanted to see the letter just as badly as Harriet did, and finally Uncle Vernon got a hold of the letter and viciously tore it to shreds, with Harriet and Darla screaming at him at the top of their lungs.

"ENOUGH!" Vernon bellowed. "Harriet! To your cupboard! I mean to you room!"

Harriet stomped up to her room, in too much of a state to care about getting in trouble for her attitude. She paced around her small room, tripping every so often on the items strewn around the room. Someone knew she had moved out of her cupboard and they knew that she had not received her letter. And since they had resent the letter, surely they would try again? This time, Harriet had a plan.

* * *

The purple alarm clock sat on the side table, it was almost new, Darla had gotten it from a friend for her birthday, but she decided that kind of purple didn't look well with her obnoxiously pink walls and had thrown it in her second bedroom, Harriet's new bedroom. It was set to wake Harriet up at six o'clock in the morning, which it did, with a loud beeping that sounded even louder in the quiet house. Harriet jumped up and smothered it with her pillow before attempting to turn it off. Then she raced down the stairs, determined to meet the mail man on the corner of Privet Drive and get her letter.

She was so excited, her heart was pounding, she was almost and the door, and-

"AAARGH!"

Harriet jumped almost three feet in the air. She had stomped on something.

The lights came on, and with a sinking heart, Harriet realized that she had stomped on Uncle Vernon, who had been sleeping by the door, in a sleeping bag, to prevent Harriet from doing what she had trying to do.

Harriet stood there miserably as Uncle Vernon yelled his lungs out at her, bringing up how ungrateful she was, and how dare she disobey him in his house, wearing the clothes he put on her back. She bit back retorts, knowing they would only get her into more trouble, then scampered quickly into the kitchen to make Uncle Vernon a cup of tea at his request. And when the post arrived, Harriet watched as three letters addressed in green ink, fell into Uncle Vernon's lap, only to get torn up like the last few.

Uncle Vernon didn't go to work that day, he called in sick and spent the day muttering to himself, and nailing the letter box shut. "You see, Petunia." Uncle Vernon said, sounding a bit deranged. "If they can't deliver the letters, they will stop sending them."

"I don't think that will work, Vernon."

"Oh, Petunia, these people's minds don't work like yours and mine. You'll see." Uncle Vernon said, trying to hammer a nail in with a piece of fruit cake.

The next day, no fewer than twelve letters came, and since they could not go through the letter box, they were shoved under the door.

Uncle Vernon stayed home again, and boarded up all the cracks, looking rather ragged, as he had been spending the nights in front of the door.

The day after, more arrived, sitting outside the door since they could not be pushed in.

Uncle Vernon, could no longer resort to ripping them up, and instead took to burning them in the fireplace while Harriet watched, feeling more and more depressed and desperate.

By the next week, they started finding letters in the oddest places, rolled up in the carton that was supposed to hold their eggs, tucked in flower pots, in the bushes. Aunt Petunia stood guard over Harriet, as Uncle Vernon searched the house every morning, bringing in an alarming stack of letters and burning them.

"Who would want to talk to you so badly?" Darla wondered in disgusted awe as Uncle Vernon cleared half a dozen letters out of the gutters.

That Sunday, Uncle Vernon looked rather tired, but happy.

"Fine day, Sundays." He said, as Harriet passed around the plate of cookies. "Thank you, Harriet. Darla, my angel. Do you know why I think Sunday is the best day of the week?"

Darla's mouth was so full of cookie that she couldn't answer, not that she knew anyway, but Harriet did.

"Because there's no post on Sundays." She said, setting the plate down and discreetly snitching one.

"Right you are, Harriet." Vernon said, pleasantly. "Not a single damn letter. All day." He let out snorty laugh.

A clattering noise erupted from the chimney.

"Must be birds nesting again." Aunt Petunia said, but she didn't sound convinced.

Then at that moment, something came whizzing out of the chimney, and landed in Uncle Vernon's face.

Harriet's heart leaped into her throat the minute she saw the thick parchment and emerald green ink.

Her letter.

The next moment, forty or fifty, maybe even more letters came streaming out, whirling around like they were caught in a whirl wind.

Harriet shrieked in delight and while Darla jumped into her mother's arms, Harriet jumped around and tried to catch one, only to be seized roughly by the neck and thrown out into the hall.

Darla and Aunt Petunia rushed out, covering their faces, and Uncle Vernon followed, slamming the door to the living room shut so hard, the house shook.

Harriet could hear the letters still pouring in and filling the room, and was tempted to do something stupid, before Uncle Vernon turned around, looking murderous.

"Five minutes. Pack only clothes. No arguments. We're leaving."


	3. 3 Yer A Witch Harriet

If Harriet got to choose a way to spend her birthday, she would choose to spend it with friends, (If she had any) or with people who loved her (Which there weren't) with presents (the only gift the Dursley's had ever given her were two pairs of ugly orange and yellow socks that Darla didn't want) and perhaps a cake.

But any other sort of way would be better than this. Sitting in a musty fishing hut out on a rocky island in the middle of the ocean.

Uncle Vernon, in his latest attempt to keep Harriet from receiving her letter, had rented this place from a fisherman, deciding that no one in their right mind, would travel in the storm that shook the cabin to deliver the letter.

He and Aunt Petunia slept in the loft on the bed, Darla slept on the couch, curled in dozens of blankets, and Harriet slept on the floor with a think fleece blanket, lying awake with her sketch book open, drawing a very beautiful and elegant cake.

Darla's watch beeped, signaling it was twelve o'clock.

Harriet was now eleven years old.

She sighed deeply and looked at her cake, finishing several details. "Make a wish, Harriet." She said, pretending to blow out the candles.

 _BOOM!_

Harriet jumped.

 _BOOM!_

Darla screamed herself awake.

 _BOOM! CRASH!_

The door caved it and thumped to the floor, as a crack of lightning flashed across the sky, illuminating a large and threatening form.

Harriet and Darla screamed, and Harriet hid behind the fireplace.

"Whose there!" Vernon yelled, holding a rifle and standing at the stairs of the loft with Petunia cowering behind him.

The figure stepped in, and _apologized?_

"Sorry about that." A loud gruff voice said. The man, who was unbelievably large and unbelievably hairy, turned and lifted the door, setting it on its hinges.

Uncle Vernon was shouting and going on about breaking and enter.

The man lumbered over and grabbed ahold of the rifle, easily bending the barrel into a loop. "Dry up, Dursley." He growled, before turning to Darla. "Well, I haven't seen yeh since yeh was a baby, Harriet. Yer a might bit further along than I reckoned, particularly around the middle." The man said pleasantly, patting his stomach.

"I-I- I'm not Harriet." Darla stuttered, pale and frightened.

Harriet looked the man over. Despite his large and frightening appearance he did not look mean. So, gathering her courage, she stepped out from behind the fireplace. "I'm Harriet, sir."

He turned to her, and his eyes went soft. "Of course yeh are." He said, in a warm tone. "Look just like yer parents, yeh do. I got something for yeh. Hold this fer me." He handed Harriet a small pink umbrella, and dug around in his large pockets.

Harriet stood patiently, while the Dursley's all cowered in the corner of the room.

"Ah. Here we go." The large man said, pulling out a large white box and taking the umbrella before putting the box in her hand.

"For me?" She asked, almost not believing it.

"Fer you, Harriet. 'Friad I might have sat on it at some point. But I imagine it'll taste just as well" The large man said, with a rumbly laugh. "Baked it mehself, words and all."

Harriet could hardly contain her excitement as she opened the box with trembling hands. Inside was a sticky chocolate cake, with red icing, and the words, "Happy Birthday Harriet" in green icing. Her very first ever cake. "Thank you." She breathed out.

"Of course. It's not every day yer young lady turns eleven, now is it?"

Harriet smiled, then looked down at her cake with a big grin.

The large man looked pleased, and he shuffled over to sit on the couch. Then he leaned over and pointed the pink umbrella at the fireplace. Two sparks flew out of the end of it, making a poofing noise each time.

Harriet's eyes were wide, and she slowly sat down on the floor in front of the man. "I don't mean to be rude. But who are you?"

"Rebeus Hagrid. Keeper of keys and ground at Hogwarts." The man said proudly. "Yeh can just call me Hagrid, dear." He said with a wink.

Harriet grinned.

"I suspect yeh know all about Hogwarts, now don't ya?"

"I've never heard of Hogwarts."

Hagrid looked shocked and extremely offended.

"I'm sorry." Harriet added quickly.

"Never heard o' Hogwarts? Blimey Harriet, didn't yeh wondered where yer parents learned it all?"

"Learned what?"

Hagrid looked like he was going to explode. "She doesn't know. She doesn't know _anything._ " He muttered.

Harriet was offended. She was not stupid. "I do too know something. I've gone to school. I've learned maths and stuff."

"I mean stuff about my world, er, yer world, yer parent's world that is."

"What world?" Harriet asked, bewildered.

"WHAT WORLD! DURSLEY!" Hagrid shouted, jumping to his feet. He turned to Uncle Vernon, face red and full of rage. "Yeh didn't tell her nothin'!"

"Of course not!" Petunia said, in her squeaky voice. Speaking up for the first time this night. "And don't you dare spread around anymore of this nonsense!"

"What nonsense!" Harriet exclaimed.

"It is an outrage! A Scandal! I knew she wasn't getting her letters but I never thought she didn't know a thing about Hogwarts and magic!"

"Magic." Harriet breathed. "There's no such thing as magic."

Hagrid looked down at her, as if remembering she was there. "O' course there is, Harriet." He said in a soft voice.

"I forbid you to say any more!" Uncle Vernon roared.

Hagrid ignored him and sat down hard and patted his knee.

Harriet walked over obediently and stood next to him, and he put his large hand on her shoulder.

"Yer a witch, Harriet." Hagrid said.

Behind them, Aunt Petunia made a noise, like a dog getting it's foot stomped on.

"I'm a what?" Harriet asked, wide eyed.

"A witch. And with parents like yers I'm sure yeh'll be a thumpin' good un. Once you're all trained up." He let out a sigh when he saw her gaping face. "I reckon it's time yeh read yer letter." He reached into his pocket and pulled out an envelope made of thick yellowing parchment with green ink.

Harriet's reached out to at last take the letter. It was addressed to Ms. H. Potter, The floor, Hut-on-the-Rock, The Sea. She quickly broke the seal and opened it and it read:

 _HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY_

 _Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore_  
 _(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc.,_  
 _Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump,_  
 _International Confed._ _of Wizards)_

 _Dear Ms. Potter,_  
 _We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. You will find, enclosed, a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July._

 _Yours sincerely,_

 _Minerva McGonagall_  
 _Deputy Headmistress_

Questions were bouncing around in Harriet's head and she couldn't form the words to ask one. Finally she managed to force out, "What do they mean, awaiting my owl?"

"Whomping willow! That reminds me!" Hagrid said, smacking his forehead hard enough to knock a stout man like Uncle Vernon flat on his back. Hagrid then proceeded to dig an owl, a real, live, annoyed looking owl from his pocket along with parchment and a quill. And Harriet found herself wondering if his pockets were magic, and could pull out whatever he liked, like a magician's hat.

Harriet watched as Hagrid scribbled something down on the parchment, she caught words like, "Dumbledore" "Harriet" "Muggles" and "Diagon Alley" before he rolled up the letter and tied it to the owls leg, then chucked it out the window and turned back to her, like it was the most perfectly normal thing in the world.

"Now where was I?" Hagrid asked.

Then Uncle Vernon spoke up, his face going as red as Hagrid's was. "She will not be going!"

Hagrid swelled up big and tall and frightening. "And I suppose a great muggle like yerself is gonna stop her?"

"Muggle?" Harriet asked quietly.

"Non-magic folk, and these people are just as muggle as they come."

"We swore we would stomp out this nonsense when we took her in! Stomp the nonsense out of her! Witch indeed!" Uncle Vernon said.

"You knew." Harriet said quietly, turning to her aunt and uncle. "You knew I was a witch."

"Of course we did." Aunt Petunia sneered. "How could you not be? My… Perfect-" She hissed out the word as if it was a personal offense. "-Sister being who she was. Mum and dad were so… Proud of her when she got her letter. And off she went. Off to Hogwarts. Coming back every summer with pockets full of frog spawn and making her drawing move and turning pillows into cats. I was the only one who saw her for what she really was! A Freak!" Petunia took a deep breath and continued, looking as if she wanted to say this for a long time. "Then she met that- that Potter! Then she had you and I just knew you would be just as- just as strange, just as… Abnormal as them. Then what do you know? My sister went and got herself blown up! And we got stuck with you!"

Harriet had gone very pale and looked shaken. "Blown up! Blown up! You said my parents died in a car crash!"

"Lily and James die in a car crash!" Hagrid roared. "How dare yeh insult their memory that way! How dare yeh keep Harriet from knowing!"

"We had to tell her something." Petunia said, turning her nose up.

"This girl has had her name down ever since she was born! She's going tah the finest school there is! And she'll be under the greatest headmaster Hogwarts has ever seen! Albus Dumbledore!" Hagrid said.

Harriet swelled up. No one had ever stood up for her before.

"I will not pay for some crack pot old fool to teach her magic tricks!" Uncle Vernon roared.

Suddenly Hagrid's pink umbrella was pointing in Vernon's face. "Never insult Albus Dumbledore in front of me." Hagrid whispered in a tone that made Uncle Vernon severely reconsider his choices in life.

Harriet made a squawking noise as she noticed Darla shoving the last bit of her very first birthday cake into her mouth.

Hagrid looked over and pointed the umbrella at Darla's rear end, and to Harriet's shock and delight, a pig's tail shot out of Darla's pajama bottoms.

The hut erupted in shrieks from Darla and Aunt Petunia, and furious yells from Uncle Vernon.

Harriet laughed at the sight, then stared down sadly at the cake. She never even got a bite.

"Don't worry dear. I'll get yeh something else for yer birthday. I reckon yeh've hardly ever gotten anything from the likes o' them." Hagrid motioned to the screaming family.

Harriet shook her head.

"Oh. And I would appreciate it if yeh didn't mention the tail tah anyone, I'm not supposed tah do magic, yeh see?"

"I won't tell." Harriet promised.

Hagrid nodded. "Well let's go Harriet. Here, yeh can wear this." Hagrid draped his large black cloak over her. "Don't mind if it wriggles a bit. I might o' left a couple o' dormice in the pockets." And with that, he walked out into the storm.

Harriet hesitated. She didn't know this man. Not well anyway. But she felt that she trusted him much more than she ever trusted the Dursley's.

"Unless yeh want to stay with them, o' course." Hagrid said, reappearing in the door.

Harriet looked at the Dursley's who had stopped screaming and were cowering in the corner. She walked towards them a bit, and they flinched back. She frowned and scooped up her sketch book before following Hagrid out the door, into the night.


	4. 4 Diagon Alley

"All students must be equipped with... One standard size two pewter cauldron, one wand, one telescope, one set of glass or crystal... crystal... Hagrid, what is P-H-I-A-L-S?"

"Phials, I believe. What else, Harriet?" Hagrid asked, as they walked the streets of London.

People parted to make way for Hagrid and gave him plenty of stares, as he was rather large and hairy, and a bit frightening at first glance. But they had no problem plowing into Harriet, who was already rather exhausted, having only got a little nap on the bus, she had lagged behind so much that finally Hagrid picked her up and placed her on his large shoulders.

"And one set of brass scales. Students may also bring, if they desire, either an owl, a cat, or a toad." Harriet frowned at the paper. "Can we find all this in London?" She asked.

Hagrid smiled. "If yeh know where tah look."

They headed down a few more streets before coming to a corner store, which had a sign over head that read, "The Leaky Cauldron"

Was this where they got the cauldrons? Harriet wondered.

As Hagrid pulled Harriet off his shoulders and placed her on the ground with a stomach clenching swoop, she got the most peculiar feeling that they were the only ones who could see the shop.

Before she could mention it, Hagrid had already walked in.

The inside was very dark and grimy, and full of smoke and people sitting at tables, eating and drinking. It was a pub not a place to buy cauldrons then.

"Ah Hagrid! The usual?" A voice asked.

"Can't Tom." Hagrid said, placing a hand on Harriet's shoulder. "I'm on Hogwarts business. Just taking young Harriet here shopping fer her school supplies."

There was quiet all around, a lady in the corner had dropped her pipe and one man turned around so fast his hat spun on his head.

"Bless my soul." Tom, the barman, whispered. "It's Harriet Potter."

There was a cacophony of noise as chairs were pushed back and people rushed towards her.

"Welcome back, Ms. Potter, welcome back!" One man said, shaking her hand.

"Doris Crockford." The witch who dropped her pipe said, shaking Harriet's other hand. "I can't believe I get to meet you at last."

It seemed like every single person in the pub wanted to shake Harriet's hand, including a middle aged man, with green robes, hazel eyes, and graying brown hair.

"I know you!" Harriet exclaimed. "You bowed to me at the super market a few weeks ago!" Indeed it was the same man. Aunt Petunia had been ruffled when she asked Harriet who the man was, of course Harriet hadn't a clue, then Petunia rushed them out without buying a single thing.

The man almost exploded with delight at being recognized. "Bless her soul! Bless her soul! She remembers me! Did you hear that! Dedalus Diggle, Ms. Potter!"

Harriet shook hands some more, with Doris Crockford and Dedalus Diggle coming back many times.

Finally, a pale looking young man walked up to her, looking very nervous and twitchy. The most particular thing about him was the purple turban around his head.

"M-m-ms. P-p-potter." He stuttered out, grasping her hand. "C-c-can't t-tell you how p-p-pleased I am to meet you."

"Hello professor!" Hagrid said, politely. "Harriet this is Professor Quirrell. He'll be yer Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts."

Professor Quirrell gave a small shudder. "F-fearfully fascinating subject." He said, acting like he didn't care for the thought of it. He gave her a shaky smile. "N-not that you n-need it. E-eh Potter?"

Harriet didn't quite know what he meant by that, but then next thing she knew, Hagrid was clearing his throat in a warning sort of way. "Well, best be off. Lots tah buy! Heh."

"Good bye." Harriet said politely, shaking one more round of hands as Hagrid lead her out.

"See that Harriet, yer famous!" Hagrid said, leading her out the back and into a back alley, that held nothing more than a few dustbins that leaned against the brick wall opposite to the pub.

"But why am I famous Hagrid?" Harriet asked.

Hagrid suddenly looked uncomfortable. "I'm not quite sure I'm the right one tah tell yeh, Harriet." He reached out and tapped his pink umbrella against a brick.

Harriet was about to ask why he did it, when the brick quivered and wiggle and then a small hole disappeared. That hole eventually grew bigger until it was wide enough for even Hagrid.

"Wow!" Harriet cried. The cobbled street was lined with stores, and filled with people carrying the strangest things.

"Welcome, Harriet, to Diagon Alley!" Hagrid said.

As they moved through the streets, Harriet was in a daze, spinning around to look at things so much and so fast that she made herself dizzy and had to keep a hold of Hagrid's coat so she didn't get lost. There were cauldron shops, candy shops, robe emporiums, green houses, and apothecary's.

They past the owlery and Harriet squealed at the sight of a beautiful snowy owl.

"Hagrid." Harriet said, a sudden thought occurring to her. "How am I to pay for all this? I haven't any money."

"O' course yeh do. It's in Gringott's." Hagrid said, then looked at Harriet's confused face. "Wizard bank. Not a safer place 'cept maybe Hogwarts."

They walked into the bank and Hagrid led her down a tiny aisle, passing tiny, lumpy looking creatures as they went.

"What are those?" Harriet asked, as one of the lumpy things glared at her.

"They're goblins." Hagrid said, even he looked unsettled. "Clever as they come, but not altogether friendly. Best stick close."

Harriet grabbed Hagrid's sleeve with both hands and hid as much of herself as she could behind his arm.

They approached a goblin at a desk and Hagrid cleared his throat.

"Ms. Harriet Potter wishes tah make a withdrawal."

Harriet peeked around to look, and found the goblin squinting at her in a way that made her uneasy.

"And does Ms. Harriet Potter have her key?" The goblin asked?

Harriet panicked for a moment. She didn't have a key.

"Wait a minute. Got it right here." Hagrid said, digging into his pocket and showing the goblin a silver key. "There's the little devil." He said, then leaned in closer. "Also, I've got a letter from Dumbledore." He pulled out a letter wrapped with twine. "It's about yeh-know-what in vault yeh-know-which."

The goblin nodded slowly. "Very well."

Harriet tried to ask Hagrid what the you-know-what was as they hurtled through the tunnels on a cart but Hagrid shushed her. "No questions. I think I'm going tah be sick." He did indeed look very green. Finally the cart stopped at a small door.

"Vault 687. Key please." The goblin, Griphook, said, taking the key from Hagrid and putting it in the keyhole.

The door was pulled opened and Harriet gasped. It was full of shiny coins. Mounds of gold coins, piles of silver coins, and stacks of bronze coins. "This can't possibly be all mine." Harriet squeaked.

Hagrid chuckled. "Yeh didn't think yer parents left yeh with nothing, did yeh?"

 _The Dursley's don't know about this._ Harriet decided as Hagrid helped her fill a back with the gold coins, Galleons, silver coins, Sickles, and the bronze coins, Knuts. If the Dursley's had known about this vault full of gold and silver and bronze, it would have been cleared out in a week's time.

"Now Harriet, there's seventeen Sickles tah a galleon and twenty-nine Knuts tah a Sickle. That's easy enough isn't it? Right. This should be enough fer a couple o' terms, we'll keep the rest safe fer yeh."

Harriet watched Griphook close up the vault, then climbed back into the cart, and they zoomed down until coming to a halt at vault 713.

"What's in there, Hagrid?" Harriet asked, trying to peek around the giant. It looked like a small package that Hagrid swiftly scooped up and tucked in his pocket.

"Best yeh don't know. And best yeh don't mention this tah anyone." Hagrid gave her a gruff look and Harriet nodded.

* * *

"I still need... A wand." Harriet said, as they walked down the street, carrying bundles.

"Well, yeh'd be best off in Ollivander's." Hagrid said, motioning to a small shop. "Now yeh run on in, I got something I need tah do first. Wait fer me here alright?"

Harriet nodded, and he took her bundle and set off in another direction.

She walked inside the small store, and was hit with a dusty, musty smell, similar to the smell that came out of the cedar chest of Aunt Petunia's that sat up in the attic. There were stacks and stacks of small boxes that no doubt contained wands. But there was nobody in sight, not even at the cluttered desk.

"Hello?" Harriet called.

There was a thunk as a ladder rolled along a track and stopped near the desk. An old and gruff looking man was perched on the ladder. He gave her a wistful smile. "I was wondering when I'd be seeing you, Ms. Potter."

Harriet was startled. _Did he know her?_

The man climbed down. "It seems like only yesterday that your mother and father were in here buying their very first wands, just like you are know." The man, undoubtedly Mr. Ollivander, eyed her. "Which is your wand arm?" He asked.

Harriet blinked for a moment. "Oh, uh, I'm right handed."

Mr. Ollivander nodded, and selected a box from the shelf. "I think, perhaps this one. Yes, yes. Give it a wave." He said, when he handed it to her.

She frowned and gave the wand a gentle swish. And the shelves from a book case flew across the room and clattered against the wall, the books went crashing to the floor. Harriet dropped the wand on the counter, and looked at Mr. Ollivander, expecting him to be mad. But he didn't look mad, just amused.

"Apparently not." He shuffled through the aisles and selected another. "Perhaps this one, dear?" He said, handing it to her.

This wand was a bit longer than the last, and thicker. She waved it, and a vase exploded, she jumped in the air.

"No. No. Definitely not." He said, shaking his head, looking disappointed. "Let's try this again."

They went through several more wands, one causing Mr. Ollivander's tie to roll up and smack him in the face, then another sent papers whirling around, and another did absolutely nothing. And instead of getting frustrated, Mr. Ollivander got excited.

"Tough customer, hmm? No matter. There's never been a soul that's walked in that hasn't found a wand in my shop!" He then disappeared into the back, and rummaged around for some time.

Harriet heard him still and mutter to himself, then came out with a box and a suspicious look on his face.

He handed Harriet the wand, so delicately as if it were a dangerous weapon bound to go off.

The minute the wood touched Harriet's fingertips, a warmth spread through her entire body, and to her surprise red and gold sparks flew out of the tip of the wand.

"And we have a winner." Mr. Ollivander muttered. "Curious. Very curious."

Harriet blinked. "I'm sorry, but what's curious?"

Mr. Ollivander hesitated, then a wistful look shone in his eye. "I remember every wand I sold, Ms. Potter. It just so happens that the phoenix, whose tail feather resides in your wand gave one more feather. Just one. It is particularly curious that you should be chosen to wield this wand, when it's brother gave you that scar."

Harriet inhaled and her fingers found the thin jagged lightning bolt scar. "And who owned that wand?" She asked.

Mr. Ollivander drew back. "Oh we do not speak his name."

Harriet frowned and looked at her wand. What did he mean he couldn't speak his name?

"The wand chooses the wielder, Miss Potter." Mr. Ollivander said. "It's not always clear why, but what is clear is that we can expect great things from you. After all, he who must not be named did great things. Terrible." The man shuddered then leaned a bit closer. "But great."


	5. 5 The Hogwarts Express

"Yeh alright, Harriet? Yeh seem kind of quiet." Hagrid said, breaking Harriet from her thoughts.

She had been absentmindedly playing with her soup, thinking about what Mr. Ollivander said. She shifted in her seat and turned her gaze to her new snowy owl, Hedwig, a birthday gift from Hagrid. Harriet had been so excited she couldn't speak properly and stuttered out a thank you in a manner like Professor Quirrell.

"Well?" Hagrid pried gently.

Harriet sucked in a breath. "He killed my parents, didn't he."

Hagrid slowly went ridged.

"The one who gave me my scar."

Now it was Hagrid's turn to play with his soup, he seemed determined to look anywhere but at her.

"You know, Hagrid." Harriet said quietly, softening her eyes like she had seen Darla do. "I know you know."

Hagrid took one look at her and melted. He reached out and patted her head before pushing his bowl away. "First, and understand this very clearly, because it's important. Not all witches and wizards are good. Some o' them go bad. And a few years ago, one wizard went as bad as yeh can go, and his name was V-" Hagrid cut himself off and winced. "His name was V-"

"If you maybe just wrote it down?"

"Nah, I can't spell it." Hagrid said, looking distressed. "Alright. His name was Voldemort."

"Voldemort?"

"Shh!" Hagrid hissed, and Harriet jumped.

"Now listen." Hagrid continued, looking very serious. "It was dark times, Harriet, dark times. Voldemort started tah gather some followers, brought 'em over tah the dark side, gathered up an army of sorts. Anyone who stood in their way was killed. Yer parents fought against 'em." Hagrid paused, and looked tearful. "But nobody lives once Voldemort decided tah kill 'em."

At that moment, a painful memory flashed across Harriet's mind. A green light, an evil cackle, and a scream.

"Nobody lived. Not one. Except yerself."

Harriet looked up at Hagrid, wide eyed. "Me? Voldemort tried to kill me?"

Hagrid nodded solemnly. "That ain't no ordinary cut on yer forehead, dear. A mark like that only shows up when a powerful and evil curse touches yeh."

Harriet was stunned. She always believed she got her scar in the car accident that killed her parents, but this was much worse. Her parents were murdered. A thought occurred to her. "What happened to V- Sorry. You know who?"

Hagrid pulled his soup back to him and swirled his spoon in it. "Some say he died. Codswallop in my opinion. Nope, I reckon he's out there, too tired tah carry on." Hagrid looked at her and smiled softly. "But one thing is certain, something about yeh stopped him that night. That's why yeh're famous, Harriet. Yeh're famous, because yeh're the girl who lived."

Hagrid personally escorted her home, and seemed rather reluctant to leave her. "Remember now, Harriet, Kings Cross, it's all on yer ticket. Follow that and yeh'll be just fine."

"I will. Thank you Hagrid." Harriet said, hugging the man who chuckled.

"Well, best be off, Dumbledore will want tah be seeing me. Good bye, Harriet." And, after a worried look at the house, and a comforting smile to Harriet, he was gone.

The last month with the Dursley's was not pleasant. Sure Darla left Her alone, she flat out refused to be in the same room as Harriet, and went out of her way to avoid her, and her aunt and uncle pretended every chair with her in it was empty, which was an improvement, but it did get rather depressing at times, especially when they didn't leave a place for her at the table for meals. So Harriet spent most her time in her room, pouring over her new books, and playing with Hedwig. It was Hagrid who suggested the name, said he saw in once in a book.

However, on the last day of August, Harriet decided it would be for the best that she spoke to Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon about getting to King's Cross.

So she walked into the living room that evening while the Dursley's were watching a quiz show. She cleared her throat to let them know she was there.

Darla let out a shriek and bolted from the room, hands clamped firmly on her backside.

"Er- Uncle Vernon?" Harriet asked.

The man grunted to let her know he was listening.

"I- I need a ride to King's Cross tomorrow, so- so I can get to Hogwarts."

Uncle Vernon grunted again.

"Would you mind giving me a lift?"

Grunt. Harriet supposed that meant yes.

"Thank you, sir." She said, then went to walk to her room, but Uncle Vernon's voice, which she hadn't heard directed at her in a month, stopped her in her tracks.

"Funny way of getting to a magic school, trains. Were they all out of magic carpets?"

Harriet knew better than to respond, but still had to bite her tongue to prevent a retort from slipping out.

"Where is this school anyway?"

"It's…. I don't know." Harriet said, realizing this for the first time. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the ticket Hagrid gave her, she kept it with her always, and read it. "Well, my ticket says I have to take the train from platform nine and three-quarters at eleven o'clock."

Her aunt and uncle stared at her.

"Platform what?"

"Nine and three-quarters, sir."

"Don't talk rubbish." Uncle Vernon said, annoyed. "There is no platform nine and three-quarters."

"It's on my ticket, sir." Harriet said, fighting hard to be polite.

"Absolutely mad, the lot of them. Alright girl, we'll take you to King's Cross, but only because we have to go to London anyway." Uncle Vernon said.

"Why have you got to go to London?" Harriet asked, trying to keep things friendly.

Uncle Vernon scowled. "We're taking Darla to the hospital. Can't have her going off to her private school with a tail poking out of the back of her skirt."

Harriet woke up early the next morning, and was so excited and nervous she couldn't get back to sleep, so she jumped up and paced around her room, double checking her trunk and bags, and giving Hedwig a good morning treat. She quickly shed her nightgown, which was an old one of Darla's and it was an ugly shade of green. Then she tugged on her regular clothes. She didn't want to go to King's Cross in her school robes, as the Dursley's might not appreciate it, and Harriet didn't want to give them any more reason to leave her behind.

Two hours later, Harriet's trunk was loaded in the back of the Dursley's car, and Aunt Petunia talked Darla into sitting next to Harriet, and they were off. And to Harriet's surprise, when they arrived, Uncle Vernon insisted on getting her trunk and pushing her trolley. She was quite startled at this random act of kindness, until his true intentions were made known.

"Well look at that." Uncle Vernon said in a condescending tone. "There's platform nine, and there's platform ten. No nine and three-quarters in sight. What do you make of that Harriet? Reckon they haven't built it yet." He cackled at her.

Harriet felt tears rise up and turned away so the Dursley's wouldn't see. She had learned a long time ago not to cry in front of the Dursley's, especially Uncle Vernon.

"Have a good term." Uncle Vernon hissed, and by the time Harriet turned to look at them, they were walking away, laughing hysterically.

Harriet really felt like crying now. She was all alone, stranded in the middle of the station, with a trunk she couldn't carry, an owl that was attracting quite a bit of attention, a pocket full of wizard's money that would be useless here, and the large clock overhead said she had ten minutes to eleven, and eleven was when the train left. She tried asking a guard for platform nine and three-quarters, but the guard thought she was being smart with him and walked off.

Harriet was panicking now. She didn't want to miss the train. She didn't want to have to go back to the Dursley's, they would just laugh at her and lock her in her cupboard for a week. She just knew it.

Then a sharp voice cut over the din of the other travelers. "-Packed with muggles of course! Same as every year-"

Harriet gasped. "Muggles." She whispered.

The speaker was a plump woman with bright red hair, and behind her were four boys, and a girl, all with the same flaming red hair as her, and they had owls.

Harriet chased after them and stopped when they stopped, right at the barrier between the two platforms nine and ten.

"Alright, Percy, you first." The woman said.

A red head stepped forward, he looked like he was the oldest, and pushed his trolley forward with purpose.

Harriet gasped, he was going to smack right into the barrier if he didn't turn.

A swarm of tourists passed in front of her, and by the time they disappeared, the boy was gone.

Harriet rubbed her eyes and moved a bit closer.

"Fred, you next." The woman said, smiling and motioning to one of what looked like a pair of twin boys.

"He's not Fred, I am!" The taller of the two shouted.

"Honestly mum, and you call yourself our mother." The first twin said, shaking his head.

"Oh I'm sorry George." The woman said in an apologetic tone.

The first twin walked over and flashed a grin. "I'm only joking. I am Fred." And dodging his mother's swat at him, he charged at the barrier with his twin close behind, and instead of smacking into a solid brick wall, they disappeared.

Harriet was gobsmacked. "Excuse me!" She shouted, hurrying over as the last and youngest of the boys was coming up beside his mother.

"Why hello dear." The woman said, smiling widely. "First time to Hogwarts?" She was everything Harriet thought of when the word 'motherly' came to him. Short, stout, with warm eyes that twinkled at her.

Harriet, for a moment, felt her heart squeeze, and could almost pretend this woman was her mother. But she shook herself. "Yes, ma'am."

"Not to worry dear. It's Ron's first time as well." The woman said, motioning to her red headed son, who smiled nervously.

"Well, the thing is," Harriet said, as the woman wrapped a friendly arm around her shoulders. "I don't know how to get onto the platform."

"Oh of course." The lady said, kindly. She turned Harriet so they were looking at the barrier where the other disappeared to. "What you have to do is walk straight at the wall between platforms nine and ten."

Harriet gave her a startled look.

"Oh it's perfectly safe dear. Best do it at a bit of a run, if you're nervous."

"Good luck." The small red headed girl said, flashing a warm smile.

Harriet smiled nervously, and pushed her trolley towards the ticket barrier, moving closer and closer until she could see cracks in the bricks. Was it from people smacking into it? She wondered. Her heart pounded heavily in her chest. She was going to hit. Her eyes squeezed shut and-

Nothing happened.

She opened her eyes and her heart exploded with joy.

Before her was a long scarlet steam engine, and over head was a sign that read: Platform nine and three-quarters, Hogwarts express.

This was it. She was going to Hogwarts.


	6. 6 Chocolate Frogs

It took Harriet a while to find an empty compartment, most of the ones towards the front were full of kids and some parents who were fussing over their children in a way that made Harriet's heart squeeze. She passed a boy who was sheepishly telling his exasperated grandmother he lost his toad, and struggled to put her carry on in the rack. It was weighed down with her sketch book, quills, pencils, a few of her more interesting school books, a box of treats for Hedwig, and her change of robes. And it didn't help that the rack was a good few inches taller than she could reach.

"Need help?" Someone asked.

It was the taller red head twin from earlier. His other was not far behind, and chatting with a boy who had something large and hairy in a box.

"Yes, please." Harriet said.

He effortlessly swung the bag up and secured it, then smiled brightly at her. "There ya go."

"Thank you." Harriet said politely. "What's your name?" She asked.

"George. George Weasley." The boy said, shaking her hand.

"And I'm Fred Weasley." The other boy said, walking over and shaking her hand.

"I'm Harriet Potter." Harriet said, smiling and nodding at each of them.

The reaction was almost instant. Their jaws dropped and their eyes widened. "Are you really?" They asked as the same time.

"Of- of course." Harriet said startled. After a month of being ignored she had forgotten she was famous.

They're eyes shot up to her scar and Harriet felt self-conscious.

"Fred! George!" They're mother called.

"Coming mum!" They called. They gave her one last look before hopping out.

Harriet sat down by the window and saw that the twins and their family were right outside her compartment.

"Mum you'll never believe who we saw on the train." George said.

"That girl from earlier?" Fred asked.

"That was Harriet Potter." They said at the same time.

The young red headed girl let out a gasp. "Oh mum! Can I go on the train and see her! Oh please!"

"You've already seen him, Ginny. The poor girl isn't some animal at the zoo to gawk at. Is that her, really? You're certain now?" The woman asked.

"Yes mum." Fred said.

"She introduced herself." Said George.

"And we saw the scar."

Harriet didn't know how the woman would react, but she didn't expect the woman to release an upset moan.

"The poor dear. I wondered why she was all alone. She was ever so polite when she asked about the platform."

"Do you think she remembers what You-know-who looks like?"

"Now hear this." Their mother said, sounding very stern. "You will not go asking her anything about that night. She doesn't need reminding about that on her first day. You will be nice to her and help her out if she needs something. Got it?"

Harriet went red and felt a surge of gratitude at the same time.

"Well mum, I should get going. I'm a prefect and we all have to be in our own special compartments." The oldest boy said.

"You're a prefect, Percy?" Fred asked, shocked. "Why didn't you say something."

"Now that I remember it." George said with a hum. "He did mention something once-"

"Or twice-"

"A minute-"

"All summer-"

"Oh shut up." Percy the Prefect said.

"How come he got new robes." George said, tugging at Percy's clothes.

"Because he's a prefect." The older woman said fondly, before kissing Percy on the cheek and sending him off. She looked at the twins with a warning on her face. "You two behave this year. If I get one owl saying you've blown up a toilet-"

"Oi! We haven't blown up a toilet yet!"

"It's a good idea though, isn't it George."

"It is. Thanks mum."

"That's not funny!" Their mother said, but smiled as they bent down and kissed her cheeks at the same time. "Oh, and look after Ron."

"Don't worry. Ickle Ronnikins will be safey wafey with us."

"Shut up." Ron said, letting his mother kiss him on the cheek.

"Alright get on. Get on." The woman said.

They clambered on and entered Harriet's compartment, each of the three giving her a look before leaning out the window to say goodbye.

Their sister began to cry, and clutch at their hands as the train whistle blew.

"Don't cry, Ginny." George said kindly.

"We'll send you loads of owls." Fred said.

"And a Hogwarts toilet seat."

Harriet couldn't help but laugh at the furious look on the woman's face as she yelled at the twins.

The train began to move, and the young girl, Ginny, chased after them until it was going to fast, then she waved crying and laughing.

"George, you got to see what Lee Jordan's got." Fred said.

"You good, Ronniekins?" George asked, in a dead serious tone.

"Shut up." Ron said, his face going as red as his hair.

"That's not nice." Fred reprimanded, as they walked out, each giving Harriet warm, welcoming smiles.

"Is anyone else in here?" Ron asked, looking at Harriet nervously.

Harriet shook her head. "Please, have a seat." She said.

He nodded and sat down, trying to not to look at her, but in a minute blurted out, "Are you really Harriet Potter?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Harriet asked.

Ron shrugged. "Fred and George play around a lot. I thought it might be one of their jokes." He hesitated. "Would it- I mean you don't have to- But do you think you can show me your..." He trailed off, motioning to his own forehead.

"My scar?" Harriet asked, reaching up to push back her bangs.

"Wicked!" Ron said, shocked.

Harriet beamed.

"I heard you were raised by muggles. Are they nice?"

"Not really. Well, most muggles are. But my aunt, uncle, and cousin were dreadful. They hate magic." Harriet said. "I wish I had three wizards for brothers though. It sounds exciting."

"Five brothers." Ron said, looking gloomy. "Bill, he was head boy, Charlie, he was captain of Quidditch, Percy, whose a prefect now, great, and Fred and George, their trouble makers, make a lot of people laugh. Now everyone expects me to do as well as them. But if I do, it's no big deal, because they did it first. You don't get anything new either. I got Bill's old robes, Charlie's old wand, and Percy's ugly rat." Ron tugged out what Harriet at first thought was a ball of lint, but it turned out to be a very raggy looking rat. "This is Scabbers. Pathetic isn't he."

Harriet gave him a small smile. "A little."

"Percy got a new owl because he made prefect. I got Scabbers because we couldn't affor- I mean, I got Scabbers." Ron said, glaring at the rat.

"I don't think there's anything wrong with wearing used robes or not being able to afford an owl."

Ron blinked at her. "You don't?"

So Harriet told him about her time with the Dursley's and how everything she had was either a hand me down from Darla, something Darla didn't want, or it taken off the street. Her own glasses were purchased from a garage sale for ten pence. And how the first ever real birthday present and cake came from Hagrid.

At the end of the story, Ron looked a bit more cheerful.

"I didn't even know witches and wizards existed, until Hagrid told me, and I didn't know about Voldemort or what happened to my parents until lat- Are you alright?" Harriet asked.

Ron had gone really pale. "You said his name! I don't know any one brave enough to-"

Harriet frowned. "I wasn't being brave." She said. "I just don't know enough not to. I never learned. I've got loads to learn. I bet I'll be the worst in the class."

"You wont be." Ron said, reassuringly. "Loads of people come from muggle families. They learn quick enough."

They chatted a bit more until at around half past twelve, a witch came pushing a trolley full of sweets.

Harriet, who didn't get any breakfast, was on her feet in a moment, but Ron went red and muttered something about bring sandwiches.

Harriet had never had money to buy herself anything, but now she had coins clinking in her pocket, and was ready to buy as many Mars Bars as she could carry, but they didn't have Mars Bars. But what they did have were Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Drooble's best blowing gum, Chocolate frogs, Pumpkin Pasties, Cauldron Cakes, Liquorice Wands, and a number of other odd candies Harriet had never even heard off. Not wanting to miss out, she got several of everything, and handed the witch her money bag to count out what she owed. She still hadn't gotten the hang of wizard money.

The witch chuckled warmly as she watched Harriet struggle to carry everything into her compartment, and Harriet dumped it all on the empty seat between her and Ron, the latter muttering something about his mum forgetting he hated corned beef sandwiches.

"Have at it." She murmured, through eager bites of her pumpkin Pasty.

"I couldn't." Ron said, who was staring at the candy.

"I've never been able to buy anything for myself, much less someone else. Please take some." Harriet said, before cramming the rest of her Pasty in her mouth and picking up a chocolate frog. "These aren't real frogs right?" She asked Ron, who was gobbling down a Cauldron cake.

"It's just a spell." He mumbled through a full mouth. "But it's the card you want. Every box has a card with a famous witch or wizard on it."

Harriet opened up the chocolate frog, and gasped as it leaped out the window.

"Oh that's rotten luck." Ron said sadly. "They've only got one good jump in them to begin with."

Harriet frowned and looked down at her card.

An old man, with a long white hair, and a beard to match, was smiling at her, eyes twinkling over his half crescent moon glasses. The title read, 'Albus Dumbledore'.

"Hey! I got Dumbledore!"

"I got about six of him." Ron said, nonchalantly.

Harriet looked back down at her card and gasped. The man had disappeared from the photograph. "He's gone!"

"Can't expect him to hang around all day, can you?" Ron asked.

Harriet stuffed the card in her pocket and grabbed another chocolate frog. "Do all wizard pictures move?"

"Of course." Ron said looking startled. "Don't muggles?"

"No." Harriet said, shaking her head. "They usually sit still."

"Weird."

Soon all the chocolate frogs were finished off, and Harriet now not only had a Dumbledore, but a Morgana, a Merlin, a Hegist of Woofcroft, Alberic Grunnion, Circe, and a Paracelsus. And she moved onto the Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans.

"You want to be careful with those." Ron said. "They mean every flavor." When Harriet gave him a strange look he continued. "There's chocolate and peppermint, and there's also spinach, liver, and tripe. George swore he got a bogey flavor once."

Between the two of them, they managed to get honey, grass, lemon, strawberry, coconut, pepper, coffee, pickle, sardine, raspberry, baked bean, chocolate, peppermint, grape, mustard, and even more curious a water flavored one. Harriet was just gagging out a salt flavored bean when the boy who lost his toad came in, looking tearful.

"Sorry, but have you seen my toad? Trevor?"

"No, sorry." Harriet said.

Depressed the boy walked back out.

"Don't know what he's so upset about." Ron said. "If I had a toad I would lose it straight away. But I shouldn't talk I brought Scabbers."

The rat in question was munching happily on a pasty.

"Fred and George gave me a spell to turn him yellow. Want to see?" Ron asked.

Harriet nodded, eager to see some more magic.

Ron brought out his worn wand and cleared his throat, but before he could speak a bushy haired girl came with large front teeth, came in.

"Have you seen a toad? A boy names Neville's lost his."

"...No." Ron said with a frown.

"Oh." The girl said, looking at Ron's wand. "Are you doing magic? Let's see then."

Ron gave Harriet an annoyed look but cleared his throat and said very clearly:

"Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow,

Turn this stupid fat rat yellow."

He waved his wand and nothing happened, other than Scabbers jumped a little.

"Are you sure that's a real spell? Well it's not very good is it." The girl said with a laugh.

Ron glared.

"Of course, I've only tried a few simple spells myself." The girl said, eyeing Harriet then walking over and pointing her wand in Harriet's face.

Harriet backed away nervously.

"For example." The girl said, either not noticing or ignoring Harriet's nervousness. "Oculus Reparo."

The sellotape flew off Harriet's glasses, leaving them shiny and new, and Harriet actually had clearer vision. She took them off to look at them in wonder.

"Holy cricket! You're Harriet potter!" The girl gasped. "I'm Hermione Granger. And.." She trailed off looking at Ron, who was cramming a cake in his mouth, with disgust. "You are?"

"Ron Weasley."

"Pleasure." Herminone said, looking even more disgusted as crumbs fell out of Ron's mouth. "I'd get my robes on if I were you. I expect we'll be arriving soon." Hermione got up and walked away, before pausing. "You've got dirt on your nose." She said, in a bossy tone. "Did you know? Right here." She said, pointing at her own nose, before walking out with a flourish.


	7. 7 The Great Hall

It took about twenty minutes for the train to come to a halt at the outdoor station. The twins said Harriet didn't need to mess with her carry on or Hedwig, as they would be taken straight to the castle. After finishing checking to see if each other's robes were straight, Ron and Harriet got off, and to Harriet's delight, Hagrid was waiting for them.

"Hello, Harriet." Hagrid said, smiling brightly.

"Hello Hagrid." Harriet said, beaming back.

"Whoa!" Ron said, staring up at Hagrid.

They followed the giant who took them around the bend. "Should be seeing Hogwarts in a minute."

A gasp rose up from the students as the school came into view. It was a large castle, with many towers and turrets, the windows sparkling in the night.

All the first years were loaded up in boats and were taken across the lake. Harriet sat with Ron, Hermione, and Neville, and Hagrid had a boat all to his own.

Once across the lake, Harriet jumped out and slipped, she would of went in if Ron hadn't grabbed her and steadied her.

"Thanks." Harriet said, grasping his arm.

"No problem." Ron said. He looked pale.

Harriet was feeling nervous too, and kept her grip on Ron's arm. She hoped he didn't mind.

Once everyone reached the front doors, Hagrid knocked three times on the castle door with his enormous fist.

It swung opened and revealed a tall, stern woman in emerald green robes. Harriet's first thought was that this was someone you didn't cross.

"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall." Hagrid said politely.

"Thank you Hagrid, I will take them from here."

Hagrid nodded and walked off, not before giving Harriet a pat on the head with his giant hand.

"Harriet." Ron whispered as Professor McGonagall looked them over. "I don't mean to be rude, but I can't feel my arm."

Harriet let out a choked laugh and let go.

Professor McGonagall lead them into the school , with Ron rubbing his arm, and took them into a small room. "Welcome to Hogwarts." She said, as everyone went silent. "The start of term banquet will begin shortly, but before you can join you must be sorted into your houses. There are Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin."

"I hope I'm in Gryffindor." Ron whispered. "Everyone else in my family was."

"While you are here," Professor McGonagall continued. "Your house will be like your family. Your triumps will earn you house points. Any rule breaking," For some reason, she gave Harriet a critical once over. "And you will lose points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup-"

"TREVOR!"

Everyone laughed as Neville rushed forward to snatch up his toad.

Professor McGonagall gave him a sharp look and he backed away apologizing.

"The sorting ceremony will begin momentarily, for now, I suggest you straighten yourselves up." With that, the professor walked away.

"How are you sorted?" Harriet asked, trying to smooth down her hair, while Ron rubbed hard at his nose.

"I don't know." Ron said, nervously. "But Fred and George told me you had to battle a troll or something. They might of been joking. They do that a lot."

Harriet felt the blood drain from her face. She hadn't been this nervous since the time she had to take a slip to the Dursley's that stated she had somehow made her teachers wig curly and bright orange.

"So it's true." Someone said, and everyone turned to see a boy with short white blonde hair slicked back on his head, a pale face, and a nasty look in his eyes. "Harriet Potter has come to Hogwarts."

People around Harriet started whispering while Harriet turned red.

The boy walked over, pushing people out of the way. "I'm Malfoy. Draco Malfoy." He said.

Ron snickered.

"Think my names funny do you." Draco snapped, turning to Ron. "No need to ask yours. Red hair, freckles, and hand-me-down robes. You much be a Weasley."

Harriet felt a surge of hatred for this boy, he sounded exactly like Darla, mean and cruel just because.

"You'll learn that some wizarding families are better than others, Potter." Draco said, turning to her. "Don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort." He glared at Ron who was red faced. "I can help you there." He stuck out his hand.

Harriet looked at it then glared at the boy. "I think I can tell the wrong sort for myself thanks."

The boy looked stunned, then glared and opened his mouth to say something, but Professor McGonagall returned and smacked him on the shoulder with a paper.

Draco gave Harriet a scathing look and walked away, and Harriet couldn't shake the feeling that she had just made an enemy.

"We're ready for you now." Professor McGonagall said. She lead them through wide doors into a huge gathering hall.

It was magnificent, lit by thousands of floating candles, it had four long tables that sat hundreds upon hundreds of students. The tables were laid with glittering golden plates and drinking goblets, but there was no food in sight.

Fred and George gave Harriet and Ron a thumbs up as they past.

"Stay right here please." Professor McGonagall said, stopping them at the steps of a stage, where a long table, surrounded by who Harriet presumed was the staff, sat.

"Look at the ceiling." Ron breathed in her ear.

She looked up and gasped. The ceiling was velvety black and dotted with twinkling stars.

"I read about this." Hermione whispered. "In Hogwarts: A History! The ceiling is bewitched to looked like the sky outside!"

It was very hard to believe that the ceiling was there at all, and that the Great Hall didn't just open up to the heavens.

When Harriet finally tore her gaze away, she saw Professor McGonagall placing an old worn hat on a four legged stool.

Everyone watched the hat, the air full of tension, and Harriet was just about to ask Hermoine what was going on, when suddenly a rip appeared in the hat. It widened and suddenly the hat began to sing.

"Oh you may not think I'm pretty,  
But don't judge on what you see,  
I'll eat myself if you can find  
A smarter hat than me!  
You can keep your bowler hats.  
Your top hats, sleek and tall.  
For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat  
And I can cap them all.  
There's nothing hidden in you head  
The sorting hat can't see.  
So try me on and I will tell you  
Where you ought to be.  
You might belong in Gryffindor,  
Where dwell the great of heart,  
Their daring, nerve, and chivalry  
Set Gryffindors apart;  
You might belong in Hufflepuff,  
Where they are just and loyal,  
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true  
And unafraid of toil;  
Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,  
If you've a ready mind,  
Where those of wit and learning  
Will always find their kind.  
Or perhaps in Slytherin  
You'll make your real friends,  
Those cunning folk use any means  
To achieve their ends.  
So put me on! Don't be afraid!  
And don't get in a flap!  
You're in safe hands (though I have none)  
For I'm a Thinking Cap!"

The Great Hall filled with applause as the hat finished it's song.

"So we just got to try on a hat?!" Ron cried, looking relieved. "I'm going to kill Fred and George! Fight a troll indeed! Bloody Liars!"

Harriet gave Ron a tight smile. Yes, she would much rather try on a hat than fight a troll, but she hoped, but doubted, that they would get to try it on in private. The hat seemed to be asking a lot. She didn't feel brave or quick-witted. As a matter of fact, she felt quite frightened and queasy, so if there was a house for that, she would fit in nicely.

Professor McGonagall stood forward, with a parchment in hand. "Now first years, when I call your name, you are to step up, and place the hat upon your head." She looked at the first name on the parchment. "Abbott, Hannah!"

A pink faced girl with blonde pig tails, who looked a lot like Darla, but less mean and much thinner, stepped up nervously. She placed the hat on her head and waited.

The hat shifted on the girl's head for a moment, before crying out, "HUFFLEPUFF!"

Hannah took off the hat, and rushed over to the Hufflepuff table.

"Bones, Susan!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

Susan scurried over and sat with Hannah.

"Boot, Terry!"

"RAVENCLAW!"

With every named called out, Harriet's nerves increased. She remembered waiting in line to be picked for a sport, and always being last, what if that happened here? What if she didn't get picked at all? What if she just sat there with the hat on her head for ages until Professor McGonagall took it off and told her it must be a mistake, and she had to go back to the Dursley's?

"Granger, Hermoine!"

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Ron let out a low moan beside her.

When Neville Longbottom, the boy who kept losing his toad went up, he nearly tripped, then when the hat called out, "GRYFFINDOR!" he ran to the table, with the hat on his head, and had to run back to return it.

"Malfoy, Draco!"

Draco swaggered up onto the stage and the hat barely touched his head before it shrieked:

"SLYTHERIN!"

Draco looked so pleased with himself as he walked towards the Slytherin table.

It seemed to take forever although there weren't many people left, "Moon." "Nott." "Parkinson." A pair of twin girls, "Patil." "Patil." then "Perks, Sally-Anne." And finally,

"Potter, Harriet!"

Harriet's heart leaped into her throat, and around her she heard whispers and murmurs rise up from the tables.

"Harriet Potter?"

"Did I hear her right?"

" _The_ Harriet Potter?"

Harriet stepped forward and the whispers increased, causing her to fumble with the hat nervously before being able to pull it on. However, Harriet turned, and spotted Hagrid at the table, who gave her a warm and reassuring smile, and that was the last she saw before the hat plunged her into darkness.

"Hmmm." A small voice whispered in her ear. "Difficult. Very difficult. Plenty of courage. Not a bad mind either. Loyalty is always a good thing to have. Ooh! What's this! A thirst to prove yourself! But where to put you?"

 _Not Slytherin_. Harriet thought to herself. _Please not Slytherin._

"Not Slytherin, eh? Are you sure? You could do great things you know, with the aide of Slytherin. Why my dear it's all in your head."

 _Not. Slytherin. Anything but Slytherin._ Harriet begged in her mind.

"No? Well then. Better be- GRYFFINDOR!" The last bit was shouted out, and it echoed through the entire hall.

She ripped the hat off and placed it down on the chair, before nervously walking over to the Gryffindor table. The shouts and cheers were deafening.

Percy the Prefect shook her hand so hard she thought it would fall off. And the Weasley twins were shouting, "We got Potter! We got Potter!"

It took a good several minutes for everyone to calm down. But when they did, Professor McGonagall got right back to business.

Harriet, no longer stressed over being chosen, relaxed and took a good look at the staff table. Hagrid sat on one end, still as tall as a standing man when he was sitting down. Next to him, were a few teachers she didn't recognize, and directly in the middle, was Albus Dumbledore, looking just as calm and mystic as he did on her Chocolate Frog card. He gazed at the boy being sorted with a thoughtful expression.

Then Harriet got the most peculiar feeling that she was being watched, she looked around and spotted him. He had long greasy black hair, black eyes, and long black robes, and he was staring at her with a curious and unreadable expression. He seemed a bit thrown off when Harriet looked at him, but didn't stop staring for a moment, taking no notice of Professor Quirrell, who had his back turned to Harriet, and was stammering away. Professor Quirrell, Harriet noticed with amusement, was still wearing his purple turban.

The black eyes bore into hers, and suddenly, a sharp pain erupted in Harriet's scar. She hissed and touched it lightly with her fingertips, and only then did the man look away. The pain stopped.

"Percy." Harriet said, leaning over to the boy, who looked more than willing to listen. "Whose that sitting next to Professor Quirrell?"

Percy looked. "That's Professor Snape." He said, looking pleased that he knew something she didn't.

"What's he teach?"

"Potions. But everyone knows it's the dark arts he fancies. Oh look, it's Ron's turn."

Harriet forced Professor Snape out of her mind, and turned to Ron, to see him place the hat on his head.

Harriet crossed her fingers and a moment the hat shouted:

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Ron walked over and beamed as his brothers gave him congratulations, each ruffling his hair in a fond geasture, and he sat down next to Harriet.

"Zambini, Blaise." was called up, and sorted into Slytherin a few minutes after he placed the hat on.

Professor McGonagall rolled up her parchment and removed the hat.

The sorting was over.


	8. 8 The Feast

Once everyone was settled down, Dumbledore stood up.

"I would like to say a few words."

Harriet groaned and looked longingly at her plate. Even though she stuffed herself silly earlier she was starving now.

"And those words are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!" He sat back down, and Harriet didn't know whether to laugh or not.

"A bit odd isn't he?" George asked, grinning at her.

"Odd?" Percy said, airly. "He's a genius! Best wizard in the world! But he's a bit odd, yes. Potatoes, Harriet?"

Harriet looked down and gasped. The dishes in front of her were piled full with more food than Harriet had ever seen in her life. She nodded her head eagerly at Percy who helped her load up her plate. She gobbled it down as quick as she could, feeling as though she had never eaten in her life.

"Slow down, now." Percy said, concerned.

"Aw, let her be, Perce. She's thin as a twig that one." Fred said, loading more roast chicken on his own plate.

"Me dad's a muggle." A boy named Seamus was saying. "Mam's a witch. Bit of a nasty shock for him when he found out."

Neville laughed but Harriet didn't quite get it.

Ron finished before her, and reached for a chicken leg, but jumped back a shrieked when a head popped through the table.

"Hello!" The head cried merrily. "Welcome to Gryffindor!"

Harriet gawked, the head was see through.

"Hello Sir Nicholas." Percy said, acting like this wasn't strange. "Did you have a pleasant summer?"

"Dismal." Sir Nicholas said with a huff. "Once again, I have been denied entry into the headless hunt." Suddenly the head rose up out of the table, a body following it. Sir Nicholas was a ghost!

"I know you!" Ron exclaimed. "You're Nearly Headless Nick!"

Sir Nicholas looked a bit miffed. "I prefer Sir Nicholas, if you don't mi-"

"Nearly headless?" Hermoine said, interrupting the ghost. "How can you be nearly headless?"

Sir Nicholas did not seem to like the way this conversation was going but he let out a huff and said, "Like this." and grasped the side of his head firmly and tugged.

The first years and some of the older kids let out cries of shock as the whole head swung off his neck as if it were on a hinge. It looked as those someone attempted to behead him but didn't do it well.

Pleased with the stunned looks, Sir Nicholas floated off to speak with one of the other ghosts, there were about twenty or so in the hall now.

Harriet ate and ate, and when her plate was empty the twins, or Percy would load something else on until finally she felt as though she would explode. She shoved the last bit of her chicken in her mouth and attempted to stuff some of the rolls into her pocket, but Percy caught her.

"What are you doing that for?" He asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Mffphmphuh." Harriet muttered through a mouthful, looking sheepish.

Percy shook his head and took the rolls, setting them back on the plate. "Harriet, there is plenty of food for each meal, you're not going to starve." And he turned back to talk to Hermoine about when classes would start.

After a bit, the food on their plates and on the platters disappeared, leaving them as clean as they had been before, and blocks of ice cream appeared. In ever flavor you could imagine along with apple pies, chocolate eclairs, jam doughnuts, puddings of all sorts, and, to Harriet's delight, treacle tart.

She had it once before and loved it. Aunt Petunia let her have some as long as she swore to be quiet when she and Uncle vernon were throwing a party.

Harriet loaded her plate with chocolate pudding, bubble gum ice cream, chocolate eclairs, and a large helping of treacle tart. Once she gobbled that down, and tried different flavors of ice cream that the twins and Percy were introducing to her and Ron she felt sated and rather sleepy. "Are we going to bed soon." She asked Percy.

"In a moment. Dumbledore usually says something after dessert."

Harriet hummed and tried the cotton candy ice cream Ron showed her.

Finally all the ice cream and puddings and other desserts disappeared, and Dumbledore stood up. "I have a few start of term notices I wish to announce, now that we are all properly fed and watered."

Dumbledore droned on for what seemed like forever, Harriet and Ron were slumped against each other, yawning.

"And now!" Dumbledore boomed, jerking Ron and Harriet awake. "Before we are off to bed, we shall sing the school song!"

"The what?" Harriet asked with a yawn.

Several of the teachers grimaced but forced smiles.

Dumbledore didn't notice this, and waved his wand, allowing golden ribbon to wiggle out, forming words in the air. "Everyone pick your favorite tune, and here we go!"

And the school bellowed out:

"Hogwarts Hogwarts Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,  
Teach us something please,  
Whether we be old and bald  
Or young with scabby knees,  
Our heads could do with filling  
With some interesting stuff,  
For now they're bare and full of air,  
Dead flies and bits of fluff,  
So teach us things worth knowing,  
Bring back what we've forgot,  
Just do your best, we'll do the rest,  
And learn until our brains all rot."

Harriet and Ron sang it to the tune of Happy Birthday, Percy sang it to a tune that Harriet hadn't heard before so was Neville, Seamus was singing it to the Irish National Anthem, and Hermione belted it out to the tune of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.

Everyone finished at different times, the last being the twins, who were singing at a slow funeral march.

Dumbledore gladly conducted their last few lines before clapping and looking very moved. "Ah music! A magic beyond all we do here! And now bedtime. Off you trot!"

"Follow me please." Percy said. "Keep up and don't wander off. We may never find you."

Harriet looked at Ron, who shrugged.

"He doesn't joke around like the twins. He may be serious." With that they scampered out after him, sticking very close.

The portraits they passed whispered, pointed, waved, and called out greetings. Percy lead them up stairs. "This is the most direct path to the Gryffindor dormitories. But keep an eye on the staircases they like to move."

Sure enough, when Harriet looked up, she saw staircases moving around, and changing paths. Harriet, who easily got lost, could tell this would become a problem.

They were walking down a hall when a handful of chalk came flying at them. They all screamed and looked for the source, but Percy let out a long suffering sigh.

"Peeves! Show yourself!"

A ghost appeared in thin air, looking haughty and mean. "D'awwww, ickle firsties!" He swooped at them, causing them to scream.

"Peeves! Do not make me fetch the Bloody Baron!" Percy shouted, in annoyance.

The ghost, Peeves, stuck out his tongue and showered Percy with more chalk before zooming away.

"That was Peeves. The school poltergeist. Doesn't listen to anyone other than the Bloody Baron, Slytherin's ghost, he's afraid of him." Percy said.

"Do all houses have ghost?" Harriet wondered.

"Yes of course." Percy said, in an airy matter of fact tone. "The Grey Lady is the Ravenclaw ghost. The Fat Friar is the Hufflepuff ghost. The Bloody Baron is for Slytherin. And Sir Nicholas is Gryffindor's ghost."

"What about all the other ghosts I saw?"

"They live here. Hogwarts is their home. A resting place of sorts for those who haven't moved on. Peeves is the only one who really gives any trouble." Percy seemed more than happy to flaunt off his knowledge of the school and encouraged the first years to ask him questions as they made their way to the dormitories.

"Don't be ridiculous." Percy said, as they came to a stop in front of a portrait of a fat lady in a frilly pink dress. "There are no dragons in the school. It's Gringotts you're thinking of. Now, this is the door into the Gryffindor dormitories. To get in, you must have a password, be sure to not forget it, or you'll be stuck out here until someone else comes along."

Neville let out a tiny groan.

"It also changes."

Neville groaned louder.

"So be sure to look out for the new password which will be posted in the common room whenever a change occurs." Percy said, before turning to the portrait.

"Password?" She said.

"Caput Draconis." Percy said, and the portrait swung wide open, revealing a door.

They stumbled in, all so very tired, but not so that they didn't gape at the common room. It was decorated with the Gryffindor symbol, a roaring lion on red, and the Gryffindor colors, red and gold. There was a large fireplace, several tables with squashy looking chairs. Towards the back, was a stair case, Percy led them up these and stopped at the top of the steps.

"Boys dormitories are the stairs to your left, and the girls dormitories are up the stairs to your right." He said. "Boys, I will show you your dorms, girls, Alicia Spinnet will show you your dorms, as the female prefect for Gryffindor is ill at the moment."

Alicia Spinnet smiled brightly and waved for the small group of Gryffindor girls to follow her.

Harriet didn't want to leave her new friend, but Hermione pushed her along after Alicia.

Ron leaned over quickly to ruffle Harriet's hair and bade her goodnight before following Percy up.

There were only four first year girls for Gryffindor, and in the first year dorm, there were four four-poster beds with red and gold curtains and red sheets. Their trunks and pets were already up and by each bed.

"Now before we go off to bed." Hermione said, just as Harriet was changing into her nightgown, which was really just a large t-shirt of Darla's. "We ought to get to know one another, as we'll be living together for quite some time."

Harriet half expected the other girls to decline, but instead they eagerly nodded and formed a circle on the ground, and Hermione dragged Harriet in the circle as well.

"Now, let's go around the room and say our names and something we'd like to do one day." Hermione said.

The two other girls agreed and poor Harriet could do nothing but go along.

The thing was, Harriet expected the girls to simply state their names and something they wanted to do and then they could go to bed.

They started with Lavender Brown, a short, slightly pudgey blonde girl who wanted to be a fashion designer. "Just like my mother!" She exclaimed, then babbled on about all the clothes she got. "Look!" She said, standing up and twirling. "Even my night gown is designer!" She caught an eyeful of Harriet ratty sleeping T-shirt and grimaced. "Well not everyone can have the best I suppose."

Harriet bristled.

Then Parvati Patil, who wanted to be an actress, and thought they would enjoy watching her act out twenty minutes of a play that Harriet didn't recognize.

Then Hermione went, and she said she wanted to be a teacher or a Hogwarts Professor, then discussed what she thought would be a good subject for her to teach.

They completely ignored Harriet, save for the times she tried to slip away to sleep, which left her rather irritated.

Finally, after Lavender finished complaining about the Hogwarts uniforms, and after Parvati finished talking about her first play when she was eight, and after Hermione finished listing the pros and cons of being a Charms teacher, they turned to her.

"Okay Harriet!" Hermione said, cheerfully. "Your turn. What's your name, and what would you like to do?"

"My name is Harriet Potter, and I would like to go to sleep." Harriet said, and she did.

* * *

A/N: Sorry for the late update, but I decided to rewrite this chapter. A lot of people have shown their displeasure over how close this story is to canon, and I apologize for that, I will try to make changes so as not to bore you. If you have some ideas please PM me I would be more than happy to listen, regardless if I use them or not. Also, please review, I love to hear your feedback. It let's me know if I'm doing the right thing. Thank you all. xxEmi


	9. 9 Potion's Class

Harriet and Ron burst into Transfiguration, panting. Their first day in the castle was not going so well, considering that one, Harriet woke late, She and Ron got lost looking for the Great Hall and hardly had any breakfast before it all disappeared, then they took a wrong turn and ended up somewhere near the kitchens, Ron blamed his stomach, which was still not full after the small bit of oatmeal he had, then they ran into Peeves, who swooped around, throwing waste paper at them and giving them bad directions.

"Thank God." Ron gasped, noting that Professor McGonagall was not at her desk, although a tabby cat was perched upon it. "Can you imagine the look on old McGonagall's face if she caught us late?"

The tabby cat jumped down, but half way to the floor, it's body twisted and contorted into, who else, but Professor McGonagall, who looked rather annoyed.

"I reckon it would look like that." Harriet whispered quietly.

"That was bloody brilliant." Ron said, gawking.

"Thank you for that assessment, Mr. Weasley." The Professor said, drily. "Perhaps I should transfigure one of you into a clock? That way the other might actually be on time!"

"We got lost." Harriet said, sheepishly.

"Then perhaps a map? I trust you don't need one to find your seats." Professor McGonagall said.

Ron and Harriet quietly sat in their seats and waited for the lesson to begin.

* * *

Luckily they were on time for their potion's lessons, which Harriet was excited for. She read _One Thousand Magical Herbs And Fungi_ by Phyllida Spore and _Magical Drafts and Potions_ by Arsenius Jigger front to back several times already.

However, a lot of people despised potions, saying Professor Snape was cruel to the other houses and favored Slytherin above all others.

Harriet hoped that wasn't true. She sat down and put her parchment on her desk and waited for Ron to join her, but instead Hermione sat down before Ron could.

"Hope you don't mind." Hermione said, as Ron sulked and sat down next to Neville.

The doors burst open and Professor Snape walked in. "There will be no foolish wand waving or silly incantations in this class." He said, in a voice that could either suggest honey or a stiletto blade. "As such, I don't expect many of you to enjoy the subtle science and exact art that is potion making. However, for those select few.." He trailed off looking at the Slytherin's, Malfoy in particular. "Who possess the predisposition, I can teach you how to bewitch the mind and ensnare the senses. I can tell you how to bottle fame, brew glory, and even put a stopper in death."

Harriet was quickly writing down everything Snape said, excitement coursing through her.

"Then again." The Professor said, as Harriet was scribbling down 'Bottle Fame'. "Maybe some of you have come to Hogwarts in possession of abilities so formidable that you feel confidant enough to not. Pay. Attention."

Harriet had no clue he was talking to her until Hermione nudged her. She looked up and saw Professor Snape's icy gaze directed at her, and several Slytherin's were snickering. Oops.

"Ms. Potter. Our new celebrity." Professor Snape said, in a tone that was just shy of a sneer. "Tell me, what would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"

Hermione's hand rocketed up into the air, but Harriet pursed her lips. She recalled reading something about this in her book, One Thousand Magical Herbs And Fungi.

"Well?" Snape asked.

Harriet squeezed her eyes shut and pictured the page in her mind. "Draught of Living Death?" She said, hopefully.

Snape hummed. "And where would you go if I were to ask you to fetch a bezoar?"

Once again, Hermione's hand shot up, and Harriet paused again.

"The stomach of a goat?"

"Correct, and what does it do?"

Hermione waved her hand frantically, trying to get Snape's attention.

"It will save you from poison." Harriet said, pleased with herself.

"Most poisons, not all." Snape corrected.

She was quick to scribble that down, much to Professor Snape's amusement.

"Now, what's the difference between Monkshood and Wolfsbane?"

Ah, this she remembered. "There is no difference. They're both the same." Harriet answer smoothly.

"Very good, Ms. Potter." Snape said, somewhat impressed. "I'm glad to see someone in my classroom knows how to pick up a book."

Hermione sat down with a huff and folded her hands.

* * *

The rest of the week went fairly well. Harriet enjoyed Defense Against the Dark Arts almost as much as she enjoyed potions, even if Professor Quirrell was a bit of a joke. His classroom smelled strongly of garlic, which everyone said was to ward of a vampire he met in Romania, who he was terrified would one day come to get him. His large purple turban also smelled funny, Ron said the twins said it was because it was stuffed full of garlic. And while Professor Quirrell wasn't very informative, Harriet's book was, and she was fascinated with it. Both her Defense Against the Dark Arts book and her Potion's books sat by her bedside to be read whenever she had a minute of time.

After the first night, the girls didn't force Harriet to join them, but they always asked if she wanted to join. She almost never did, choosing instead to spend as much time as she could with Ron in the common room, and they once even fell asleep on the floor, and the next day laughed over the pains in their necks and backs. Harriet preferred that to boy talk.

Friday was an important day for Ron and Harriet, as they managed to find their way to the Great Hall without getting lost once, and they celebrated this with two chocolate muffins each.

"What's Seamus doing?" Harriet asked, as she watch the boy mutter and point his want at his cup, then peek in eagerly.

"Trying to turn his drink into rum." Ron said, impressed. "He actually managed a weak tea yesterday, before-"

ZAPOOF! The cup exploded, leaving Seamus looking shocked and a bit frightened.

Everyone laughed then went back to their breakfast.

Percy hadn't lied, she most definitely wasn't going to starve here. They had pancakes, waffles, oatmeal, toast, muffins, bacon, sausage, orange juice, apple juice, milk, and chocolate milk.

While they were eating, the post arrived. Harriet, at first, had been startled when hundreds of owls swooped into the Great Hall and began dropping letters and packages. But now, she simply hummed and pulled Ron's letter out of her orange juice. The Weasley family's owl was named Errol, and he was quite old and missed a lot.

Hedwig didn't usually have anything to bring her, but she stopped by anyway and Harriet would let her have a bit of toast or a drink of orange juice, and Hedwig would give her a fond nibble on the ear before flying off. But today, Hedwig dropped a letter in front of her and landed gracefully beside her to finish off her last muffin.

Harriet was excited as she tore open the letter.

 _Dear Harriet,_ it said in very untidy letters

 _I know you get Friday afternoons off, so would you like to come and have a cup of tea with me around three? I would very much like to hear about your first week. Send your response with Hedwig. I know you're not quite familiar with sending letters yet but don't worry, she'll know how to find me._

 _Lots of Love,_

 _Hagrid_

Harriet beamed and borrowed Fred's quill briefly to scribble, "Yes, please. I'll see you later." At least it gave her something to look forward to after her next potions class, which would be the last of the evening. She finished her orange juice, and stuck a chocolate chip muffin in her pocket before heading off with Ron.

The next potion's class went wonderful, well, not if you were Neville, who made a mistake that ended in a disgusting odor pouring from his potion and filled the room.

Harriet jumped in quickly and realized he hadn't put in enough fish scales and corrected his mistake. She earned Gryffindor four points, well two if you subtracted what Neville had lost.

Professor Snape was quite pleased with her.

When they finished for the day, she and Ron slipped away from Hermione, who was questioning how Harriet knew what to do to fix Neville's potion, and they made their way to Hagrid's.

After Harriet had knocked, they heard a frantic scrabbling from inside, and the door burst open. Something dark and hairy jumped on her, knocking her to the ground, it opened it's mouth and- Began to lick her?

She giggled as the dog began to lick her face, slobbering over her.

"Back, Fang, back. Yeh ol' fool." Hagrid said, sounding amused as he pulled the large dog back. "Yeh alright Harriet?"

Harriet giggled and took the big man's helping hand up.

"Come on." Hagrid said, with a laugh. "We'll get yeh all cleaned up and then have tea."

"This is Ron." Harriet said, as she washed her face with the rag Hagrid had given her.

"Another Weasley, eh?" Hagrid said, eyeing Ron's red hair and freckles. "Yer twin brother's have caused me a heap o' trouble. Yeh ain't troublemakers like them, are yeh?"

Ron gulped. "No sir!"

They sat down while Hagrid poured tea and set out rock cakes, which were so hard they almost broke their teeth, but after soaking them a second in their tea they didn't taste all that bad. Then they described their week to Hagrid, who listened diligently.

Fang had put his head in Harriet's lap and drooled on her skirt, but she didn't mind.

Harriet babbled on about potions for a good five minutes until Hagrid stopped her with a question.

"Snape hasn't been giving yeh a rough time then?" He asked, concerned.

"No. Not at all." Harriet said, surprised. "Why would he?"

"Oh.. No reason... Er.. Had any problems with Filch yet?"

Despite Hagrid's rather obvious shift of topics, they told him how the raggy old man tried to get Harriet in trouble when she was delivering a note to Professor Flitwick on Professor McGonagall's orders, and they were delighted to hear Hagrid refer to Filch as, "That old git."

"And as fer that cat Mrs. Norris, I'd like to introduce her to Fang some time. D'yeh know, every time I go up to the castle, Filch sets her to following me until I leave?"

"How come?" Harriet asked.

Hagrid looked uneasy and muttered something about Filch not trusting him because he got expelled.

"How come you were expelled?" Ron asked, and Harriet wasn't surprised when Hagrid didn't answer.

Harriet had asked the same thing while they ate lunch in Diagon Alley. Hagrid had explained he couldn't use magic because he was expelled, but when she asked why he had been expelled he stiffened and changed the subject, like he did now.

As Hagrid asked Ron about his brother, Charlie, Harriet pulled the newspaper, the Daily Prophet, over so she could read. It was dated 1 August.

The headline on the front page boldly read:

GRINGOTTS BREAK-IN YESTERDAY

Believed to be the work of dark witches or wizards unknown, Gringotts goblins, while acknowledging the breach, insist that nothing was taken. The vault in question, number 713, had in fact been emptied earlier that day, 31 July. "But we're not telling you what was in there, so keep your noses to yourself if you know what's good for you." Said a Gringotts spokesgoblin this afternoon.

"Hagrid!" Harriet exclaimed. "Gringotts was broken into on my birthday!"

Hagrid floundered and almost spilled the hot water he was pouring. He snatched the article away. "Never yeh mind that." He said just as Harriet said, "That was the vault we visited!"

"So what if it was? They didn't get nothin'." Hagrid said, hastily rolling up the newspaper.

"They were after what you took." Harriet said. "What did you take Hagrid?" She tried using her doe eyes again.

Hagrid spluttered, and thumped another plate of rock cakes on the table.

One thing was for sure, Harriet thought as she followed Ron back up to the castle, her pockets loaded with the rock cakes she snitched, her mind was working twice as hard as it had all week trying to figure out what was so important in that vault that Hagrid wasn't allowed to say anything about, and that others would try to steal. And where was that package now?

* * *

A/N: Sorry if it's a little shaky. I've managed to come down with a nasty cold and of course I've never taken my Nyquil well, but I really wanted to post a chapter on Harry's birthday. Happy Birthday Harry! I think he turns 37 today? Let me know if I'm wrong. Anyway, I want to get your opinion on maybe Snape and Harriet having a closer relationship. I wanted Harriet to resemble her mother more than just her eyes, and someone wrote to me, suggesting Harriet had a knack for potion's like her mother and in that, Snape becomes more fond of her. I thought it was a brilliant idea but I would like to know what everyone else thinks. Drop a review, it's very easy and takes only a few minutes, and give me feedback, or advice on what I should do different, I'm always interested in hearing different views and constructive criticism is welcome. (But don't be rude about it) Thank you! xxEmi


End file.
